While live-blogging the Windows 11 event, I was quite impressed with much of what Microsoft is doing. And while I won't be switching anytime soon myself, I'd be happy if Apple could learn (even steal) from Windows 11 in some selective and smart ways.

But before you overestimate Microsoft, Windows 11 is actually catching up to macOS Big Sur and the M1-based Mac released last year. It's time Apple finally started offering iOS and iPadOS apps for Macs, something Microsoft is finally doing with its Android apps on Windows. That said, I can't deny that it seems half-hearted, with Amazon's AppStore only now available; I hope the sideloading of Android apps on Windows 11 works out well, because I'm not sure I'm ready for it.

Most of my adult life has been spent in Apple's walled garden, but in my spare time I use my PC to live stream on Twitch. Over the past few months, I've become more familiar with Windows, but I've also become aware of some of its problems. Now that Microsoft is fixing some of the shortcomings, it may be too late to ask for changes to macOS 12 Monterey, so I have found some recommendations for macOS 13.

Despite Apple's efforts to improve multitasking with the iPad, macOS still languishes in this category. Especially if you have a Mac docked to an external monitor.

I'm currently using a MacBook Pro and a 29" monitor and wouldn't think of using split-view mode because of all the wasted space. Instead, I have a huge stack of many windows. Not ideal, but still more visibility than a simple pair of applications. [Windows 11 knows that four is better than two, especially when it comes to multitasking; Apple may have designed the split-screen option based on the concept of how many apps you need at once, but I can always open a third or fourth app. Right now, I want to use one window to quickly look at my company Slack while writing this article, and the second window to refer to my notes.

Windows 11 can also remember the window groupings you have used through a feature called Snap Groups. This way, if you like a certain screen layout, you can easily return to your work by minimizing the group of windows and making them visible again.

I try to do so outside of work hours. Of course, my work-life balance has been further compromised over the past year, so I tend to slack off all the time. However, Windows 11 attempts to solve this problem by allowing you to customize your desktop to fit the different ways you use your PC.

If my MacBook had such a feature, I could edit the dock for different sections of my life. On my work desktop, I have Slack, Chrome, Calendar, Sticky Notes, Pixelmator, and Voice Memos. This is because I don't want to use these apps (probably Chrome) outside of work hours.

Then I switch to indie favorites that I can't use at work, like Bear, Todoist, Drafts, Due, Deliveries, etc. I also include the Music app because I have a weird habit of not wanting to listen to music at work. Instead, my dock is very long and thin and crowded, half filled with apps I don't really need.

Also, the Windows 11 desktop allows for more customization, so you can have different wallpapers and themes for those zones. For example, while at work, you might be more comfortable with the desktop background of laconic professional wrestler Orange Cassidy than you are at home. In this way, you can easily transition from one mode to another.

Apple probably doesn't want to make a touchscreen Mac. But hey. Even I wouldn't want to tap the icons and touch targets on macOS Monterey. They are super small and made for cursors.

That's why I chuckled respectfully at Microsoft when they showed that the Windows 11 interface changes just a little bit when in tablet mode. For example, the space between icons on the taskbar is expanded, making it easier to touch the desired icon.

The demo also highlighted how this tablet mode adds visual cues and increases the size of the touch target (the button, the corner of the screen, or whatever you are trying to touch), making everything feel more natural.

I'm sure Apple's brain trusts that they can find a way to keep macOS 13's touch-friendly mode looking and feeling like macOS 12 to the point that no one will be upset. Would that eliminate the need for the iPad? I don't think so. Some people want a touch-specific device, others want the flexibility of both.

I have never been a fan of the Start menu, but Windows 11 has added a "Recommended Documents" section. The list of recent files is hidden in the Finder's "Favorites" list, as well as in the Apple icon in the menu bar under "Recently used items."

This is a very straightforward way to view files you might want and does not take advantage of Apple's intelligence; Siri may have problems as a voice assistant, but apps and widgets on the iPhone and iPad The recommendations are spectacular. If Apple can find a way to use that information to suggest pages and files that you are most likely to want at that moment, and if it can do it all locally for your privacy, Apple could be a winner.

In macOS Monterey and Safari on Apple's iOS 15 and iPadOS 15, the app toolbar now changes to match the website you are using. This may be cool for some, but too chaotic for me.

More time will tell, but I respect that the overall default tint of Windows 11 seems to be a mix of neutral tones and translucent. For now, I can only hope that I can soon find a setting to disable Safari's new color-aware adjustments when using the OS.

That said, the Windows 11 event showed me one thing I don't want Apple to copy. While the team may seem minimal in the above implementation, there is a whole world of complexity hidden in that little menu.

I know enough about Teams and its integration with family and friends that I have no intention of using Teams. I prefer Messages and FaceTime by itself. It would be great if Apple and Microsoft would allow us to use these together. Especially to get more people to use SharePlay. Allow those who want to use the reminders and calendar apps to continue to use them, and not force Type A families to push their relatives to use and conform to this great web of productivity.

More time observing Windows 11 in beta next year should give everyone enough time to see what actually works and what makes a good presentation or sizzle reel. [But these new features give even enthusiastic Mac users like myself a reason to take our eyes off Windows.